Arizona weekly citizen., 1887-08-27
How Water Storage is to be Obtained


 The Albuquerque Citizen of the l3ib inst. has s most excellent article on irri ga,ion, from which we take pleasure ip quoting the following. The geogrsphi- cal formation of Arizona and New Mexico are alike. Great wsterless plains make up the major portion of the two territories, and whatever change can be wrought in favor of ore can likewise be used effectively on the other:-
 "How shall our surplus water be stored for use when needed? This IS the i'm portant question which demands our most earnest attention. Our territory is but spsrsely populated, spsrt from our cattle and sheep growers, IT any of whom fear the advent of the sgricul- turslist. Our people are poor. and reser- voirs capable of storing the surplus from our water courses and rain falls cost princely sums. Our territorial gov. ernment has DO authority to hypothecste the future resources of the territory for this purpose. How then shall it be doDes There is but one answer. We must go to the general government. The treasury of the United States IS full to replstion; that money belongs to the people and must be used for the general good. The arid lands of New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, Nevada and Wyoming are held in trust by the government for the use of the landless of the entire nation. Until these lands are wstered they are useless, except as their scsnty grass furnishes food for 6 comparatively few cattle and sheep. Irrigste this i'm mense domain and it will furnish food and homes for 8 population greater than the entIre nation now numbers within her borders. Let, then, the gov erpment take of her surplus funds, dam arroyss and cRnons, sink srtesisn wells and construct reservoirs until the work is completed, snd her great domain fit to be inhabited by the overcrowded populs- tion of the northern and eastern DOT tions. Tn the demand upon Congress, Colorado. Nevada, California and all the territories will unite. It should be the willingly performed duty of every paper in the states and territories nsmed, to agitate this question. and every oitIzen in either. who knows a member of Con ereRs. should write to him a private letter, asking his cooperation in the work. Meetings should be held; peti- tions drawn up circulated, asking Con gress to aid us 10 water the public lands. Il be sale of lands thus reclaimed would, In great part repay the cost of the necessary work for their reclamation, even at government prices. and the re- claimed lands furnish homes for great and prosperous communities.
 The vast plains of India. which stretch from the base of the Himslsys noun tsiDs were ss arid ss New MeIioo and Arizona few decades ago. The Brit ish government needed new outlets for her surplus population, and new fields upon which to grow the food supplies for those of her people who remained ou her sea girt islands, ss we'll ss new pop ulation to purchase the surplus product of her looms and forges. Immense stor- age reservoirs were constructed by the government, in and near the foothills of the Himalsyss to catch and hold the surplus waters until, now, immense bodies of waters are preserved and dis trIbuted when needed. The result of thIs wise expenditure of British govern ment gold has been all that could be de- sired, and to-day India competes, sue cessfully, with the wheat fields of Amer ics and Russia, in the markets of the world, and her reclaimed territory IS but beginning to be populated. All that Great Britain Has done in Northern h. dis, the United States may do, and out 10 do for the srid mountain slopes, valleys and broad plains within her ter ritory.
 We must not wait, however, for gov ernment action. Individual effort can accomplish much; community effort more. Private wells. in many cases, will furnish water enough to support fam fly, and in all cases where this osn be, it should be done. Remember, "the gods help those that help themselves"
 The industrious and psiustsking Nor mon inhsbitsnt of Utah has built bis small reservoir 1T some srroys and stor- ed sufficient water for his little farm. not in one case alone, but in thousands of instances, until barren valleys are now beautiful gardens. Whst Utah has done New Mexico and Arizona Can do.